Red in Different Shades

40. Class A vs Class B Continued!

The third match brought together Todoroki, Iida, Shoji, and Ojiro for Class A, facing Class B's Tetsutetsu who always ready to charge in headfirst, Kaibara with his relentless spinning attacks, the graceful American Tsunotori, and Honenuki, whose softening Quirk made the battlefield treacherous.

The match began with Tetsutetsu barreling through the battlefield, a one-man wrecking crew leaving shattered debris and bent metal, and toppled structures in his wake.

Subtlety clearly wasn't part of his Quirk training, Niwa thought to herself, watching the large monitor. The sight was almost impressive. Almost. Tetsutetsu's sheer force could intimidate most opponents, but Niwa knew she would be a bad match-up for the boy.

Class A's team dove headfirst into the chaos, splitting up just as they neared the heart of it. Todoroki, with barely a flick of his wrist, sent a tidal wave of ice tearing across the battlefield, roaring as it erupted into jagged spires. Massive walls shot up like glaciers, carving the arena into a frozen maze. The temperature visibly plummeted, frost crawling over the metal and covering the ground.

"Show-off," she muttered under her breath.

"He's strong when he lets loose, as usual!" Mineta's whine dragged Niwa out of her thoughts. "No fair!"

"But look! The ice isn't obstructing his view like before," Uraraka countered, her eyes wide with admiration. "He's improved!"

Tetsutetsu stood defiant, his entire body gleaming with metallic sheen as the ice encased him waist-deep. "Todoroki's here! Where are the others?" he shouted, his voice echoing in the frozen space.

"Can't see them," Kaibara replied, stuck in a similar predicament. His sharp eyes scanning the frosty arena, but the icy walls distorted the view.

Iida surged forward with a burst of speed, but his confident charge faltering when the ground beneath him began to sag. A strange ripple spread across the battlefield, and Todoroki's towering walls of ice wavered before collapsing into a sludgy mess.

Honenuki stepped into view, "Using that much ice right off the bat? Cheap move," he commented casually.

Niwa leaned forward, her magenta eyes narrowing. Honenuki's Quirk was fascinating in action. The ice, once solid and unyielding, had turned into an oozing mass, losing all structural integrity. It wasn't flashy like Todoroki's attacks, but its subtlety made it all the more dangerous.

"If you came at us more coldheartedly with fire, we wouldn't have been able to do anything." Honenuki continued, his calm critique undercutting the chaos around him.

With the softened ice now pliable, Tetsutetsu and Kaibara broke free with ease.

Ojiro, meanwhile, landed on what he assumed was a stable pipe. The moment his weight pressed down, it squished unnaturally. He yelped, scrambling to regain balance.

"Found you!" Honenuki's grin audible through his voice as he spotted Ojiro's stumble. "I softened a bunch of random stuff around here. Better watch your step." His tone was light, almost playful, but the gleam in his eyes said otherwise.

"The Class B team does a splendid job brushing off Todoroki's area attack!" Vlad King's voice boomed through the speakers, his pride for Class B unmistakable. "Now, for the counterattack!"

Niwa brought herself down to the ground, legs crossing and arms bracing her weight behind her. "That's the issue with predictable moves," she muttered, her voice dry.

"Still, it's strong if the opponent doesn't know it's coming," Kirishima offered, ever the optimist.

"Yeah, if they're brain-dead," Bakugou shot back. "Ice block's playing it too safe. If he had half a brain, he'd switch to fire and burn that mud freak's playground to ash."